It’s not often that a hockey family has such strong ties to one junior organization, but the Foote clan is basically Kelowna Rockets royalty at this point. Today, Adam Foote was announced as the new head coach of the Rockets, where he’ll get the chance to coach his son Nolan Foote who is currently an alternate captain with the team and expected to be drafted quite high in June’s draft. Cal Foote, Adam’s other son, captained the Rockets in his final year of junior before joining the Syracuse Crunch this season.
Foote, 47, has no high level coaching history, but did play more than 1,300 games in the NHL and has worked with the Colorado Avalanche for several years as a development consultant. He also worked with Team Canada on their most recent Spengler Cup team, and has won almost everything possible as a player. Olympic gold, World Cup gold, multiple Stanley Cups and even an OHL Championship, there are few who know winning like Foote. That’s what the team is betting on as they bring him in advance of the 2020 Memorial Cup, which they will host. GM Bruce Hamilton explained as such:
Our hope is that Adam can come in and take over a team that is in transition. Because we host the 2020 Memorial Cup presented by Kia, we know a number of personnel moves will have to be made.
We are confident Adam will be able to help us move forward, not just this year but next season also.
Teams in the CHL often build towards a Memorial Cup run when they are named hosts, and the replacement of former coach Jason Smith was only the first step of a new plan. The Rockets are 4-10 to start the new season, and will need to start working towards a few years from now instead of focusing on competing right away. Installing Foote now allows him to develop and grow in the position with an eye on 2020, with the hope that they’ll be able to contend for the Cup instead of just being a part of the tournament.